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[Oznell]

Stone cottage, built in 1937,  featured in the blog "Stone Cottage Adventures".   She has a very traditional, cozy style, furnishing the cottage with sentimental family favorites and thrift store finds.  It's more maximalist than most people "dare" to be nowadays.

She recently did a post-Christmas tour.  This heavy, substantial ribbon that she found, was her inspiration for January-- blue and white, but with a perky orange under-side. See that lining, just peeking out?    She tied it on a candle sconce.  The luxurious ribbon reminds me of that luscious, artisanal ribbon you found recently, @ECBG.

It rekindled her interest in her Mother's old rug, that has a spicy orange backdrop.

She then set up this buffet or chest above it, accordingly.  She scounged various blue and white items from around her house, and the little orange and white ginger jar, and filled the silver bowl or tureen with fresh oranges.

It all looks really good with her oil painting too.  Do you like the idea of taking decorating inspiration from a ribbon, or other pretty objects?

The cottage seems filled with sweet little corners like this.  Love that quirky vintage chair.

In her little den area below, you can see that her colors lean to gold, russet and other tawny, more earthy colors. 

She brought this blue and white teacup here, to a favored spot.  Even when she's just drinking water from a glass here, she keeps the saucer on her table, using it as a semi- permanent coaster--  good idea!

And she tied the blue white and orange ribbon in a more elaborate bow for the coffee table--

This tablescape below is not in the 'winter' tour, but shows her affinity for old brass thrifted candlesticks.   I like the nostalgic old wooden pew.

She said, she always knows what she's going to get at the thrift store--  china like this, old brass, and old copper, like that copper chafing dish she found there.   Here below, at the top, she's showing a simple blue and white piece, that she'll be able to combine with her more pricey Royal Copenhagen porcelain saucer,  at the bottom--

On the same thrift haul, she even scored this cute coffee, tea, or chocolate pot to coordinate with her other china.  Having a plan ahead of time, about what categories you will or won't get, seems the key to not going overboard and impulse buying when thrifting!

She likes to layer.   Here, she put a little Russian box inside of a metal dish, making it more of a focal point.

"Stone Cottage Adventures"  has colors that are totally different than mine, but I can see how well they work for her.  She wanted similar gold walls to her grandmother's, and found  "Blonde",  by Sherwin-Williams.  But, she warns that it's a 'bully color',  and doesn't want to play well with a lot of other things!  Sill, she says she loves it.

This is a tiny little study that seems to be off the entrance.

It's just such a quaint cottage, in her unapologetically collected and layered style.   I like her style, just personally preferring a bit more edited and sparse version of it, for myself.   But she knows what she's doing, and rotates things in and out.  She doesn't follow trends, but decorates only with the things she likes.

You can see the whole tour by googling:

Stone Cottage Adventures January House Tour 

LATER--edited to add--  I had wanted to show the cottage in winter as well as summer "dress",  but missed out and didn't have time to look for it before.  Finally, here it is in winter, and even minus the floral climbers, it has its own charm and beauty--

  

[Somertime]

FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sooner]

Interesting but I don't know how people deal with all that stuff or fussing with it. I'm one to have fewer things, get them where I like them and the stuff and I live happily with that.  

[ECBG]

VERY interesting!  She has quite a lot of elements in her home but they flow.  I like how she does her brass trays.  

She must have quite a vision when she shops or has a specific love, like I love primitives, but I prefer a lighter look which is more curated as well; I'm not particularly fond of glass items.  I'm more likely to pick up a large unusual pitcher and put flowers in it.

With all of her accessories, she must clean a room a day!

i

[cimeranrose]

What a beautiful home! Thanks for sharing all these wonderful pictures @Oznell . I love stone houses. A few years ago we lived in eastern Pennsylvania for several years. There were so many great stone houses in the area where we lived. There were a couple I would have loved to buy! Love her marble-top tables too. She has great style.

[Catiele]

Love the outside. The inside has too much stuff. For me less is more. 

[Oznell]

@cimeranrose , bingo, I wondered if it was in eastern Pennsylvania too, b/c of the stone.  But from something she said, I actually think it might be Virginia, interestingly enough ( I could be wrong-- this gives me an excuse to see more videos, to pinpoint the location, ha.

Oh, boy, one of the ways she's been able to create her own, individualized, non-cookie cutter style--  she rescues old, old furniture.

Here's her grandparents' 100 year old sofa,  before rehab:

AFTER:    Because the wood frames on old furniture are so solid, reupholstering them makes good economic sense.  This same, wonderful circa 1925 little settee from above, now graces her front parlor.  That carved wood trim had been hidden--

And this forlorn little Victorian sofa below, with burl wood inlay, was found abandoned.   "Stone Cottage Adventures" immediately spotted the potential for rehab, and it is now in her house--

BEFORE:

AFTER:   Acquired for free, it now has new life--

Not all of her upholstered furniture is hundreds of years old (!),  but she does know how to keep furniture going.  Her family room couch is 25 years old, but because even back then they were making furniture more solidly than now, it is still in place,  with 4 kids having grown up on it, not to mention dogs and cats.

I really respect the instinct to conserve, and make use of what one has.  Also, there's a certain love of life expressed in making one's environment, no matter what it is, or what style, continually beautiful. 

[on the bay]

@Oznell,

I think you would be wonderful at doing videos touring houses!

I used to live near a wonderful consignment store of household treasures-wonderful old copper urns and pots, stone vases, Irish linen handkerchiefs, mirrors, ancient toys and rockers, rugs, paintings. And the 2 sisters who ran it became your friends. 

[SaveTheTurtles]

Very lovely and cozy looking.

[QVCisFun]

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@Oznell wrote:

Stone cottage, built in 1937,  featured in the blog "Stone Cottage Adventures". 

  

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Fun to see the nice exterior in different seasons.  Looks great in the winter.